Troades Summary

In the background of "Troades," or "The Trojan Women," it is noted that Troy has fallen. Only two acts of the Greeks' vengeance remains incomplete. They must destroy Hector's son, Astyanax, who is the last heir of Troy, and sacrifice Polyxena, Priam's daughter, to Achilles' tomb. Two prominent women play a major role in this play, Hecuba, Priam's widow, and Andromache, Hector's widow.

In the first act, Hecuba laments the fall and raiding of Troy. She complains that her prophesies, like those of Cassandra, were ignored. She mourns Priam, king of Troy and her husband. All of the Trojan widows have been claimed by the Greek conquerors, except for Hecuba. Hecuba urges the chorus of Trojan women to weep for Troy, and the chorus laments. She urges them to weep for Hector; they comply though nothing is sufficient to express the extent of...